The digital age is here. Let’s be honest, not many people still use paper to take notes in class, preferring instead to use iPads or tablet computers to write them digitally. I completely understand the appeal; digital notes can save a lot of space and eliminate the worry of precious information getting ruined by something as simple as rain. But there are still some people who use the old-fashioned way of taking notes: pencil and paper. Pens are good, but frankly, I make too many mistakes to use unerasable ink regularly. So, I stick with my trusty pencils. This, however, leads to another predicament: what type of pencil should you get? There are really only two types to choose from: mechanical or wooden. Each has its pros and cons, so which one have I decided to make my own? And why is this the correct choice? Let’s jot down some notes.

First, let’s look at the history of the pencil. The wooden pencil we know today originates from a graphite deposit, where the pure material was used to mark sheep. This was back in the 16th century, and the development of encasing it in wood came shortly thereafter. The classic yellow pencil look, created in the early 19th century, became so iconic that most pencils, regardless of brand, follow this design trend. Mechanical pencils have a more recent history, being introduced in the early 1800s when the patent for a refillable pencil was filed. These early models were often fancier and had a “form over function” mentality. The more modern versions, developed in the early 1900s, focused on functionality and emphasized benefits like always being sharp and refillable, which contributed to their popularity.

So, which one do you choose now? Considering the fact that I spent $8 on a pencil for this school year, I have a pretty strong opinion on this. I purchased the Uni Kuru Toga Advance Upgrade, and there were several reasons for my doing so. For starters, I’ve always noticed that I dull standard wooden pencils way too quickly. Sometimes in class, I can go through two or three sharp pencils, and I just don’t like the feeling of a dull pencil. I’ve tried bringing a sharpener, but it just ends up being inconvenient. Wooden pencils do feel nice, and I’ve used them for a long time. You really can’t go wrong with a good Dixon Ticonderoga. This was my go-to in high school where every classroom had a sharpener, unlike college classrooms. Because of this change at Bucknell, I looked into mechanical pencils.

I got my first Kuru Toga a long time ago, and it debuted the feature of rotating lead. This meant that the lead never got dull because it rotated each time I lifted it off the paper. This was really cool, and I fell in love with this type of pencil when I got to college. I got my second one last year, and I was really upset when I couldn’t find it at the start of this semester. It had a metal grip and a nice weight to it, which was especially useful since I use a pencil most of the day. So, I decided to get another one. This one is also metal, but it has more features than my previous one. And of course, it still has the auto-rotating lead and all the other benefits of mechanical pencils. For all these reasons, I firmly stand in favor of mechanical pencils, specifically the Kuru Toga.

What do you think? Is $8 or more too much to spend on a pencil? Are there real differences between a great wooden pencil and a high-quality mechanical pencil? If anyone wants to debate this, I’d be happy to discuss it and understand why others might choose differently than me.